Amidst her triumphant Oscar win for the 2022 film Everything Everywhere All at Once, Michelle Yeoh finds herself grappling with a sobering reality in the entertainment industry, as her show The Brothers Sun becomes the latest casualty in the streaming giant’s ruthless series of cancellations. The action comedy-drama, released earlier this year, has failed to secure a second season at the streamer, despite critical praise and Yeoh’s standout performance.
Michelle Yeoh’s The Brothers Sun Canceled After One Season
Starring Michelle Yeoh alongside Justin Chien and Sam Song, Netflix has canceled the action comedy-drama The Brothers Sun nearly two months after the show premiered on the streaming platform, as per Deadline. The series earned critical acclaim upon its debut along with critics praising the Oscar-winning actress’ performance.
The series managed to capture audience attention, spending five weeks within Netflix’s Top 10 for English-language series and peaking at an impressive No. 2 spot. However, its inability to attract a sizable viewership is considered the reason for its cancelation.
The series saw a decline in viewership, with its number of weekly views dipping below 7 million and plummeting to under 2 million during its final two weeks in the Top 10, making its performance quite modest according to the streaming giant’s standards.
The Brothers Sun revolves around the Sun family, as Charles Sun, a Taipei gangster is driven to travel to Los Angeles to safeguard his mother, played by Michelle Yeoh, and his oblivious younger brother, Bruce, after his father falls victim to a mysterious assassin.
This development marks yet another setback for Yeoh, following the cancelation of her Disney+ comedy series American Born Chinese, despite earning critical acclaim. Starring Michelle Yeoh alongside Ke Huy Quan, the series premiered on Disney+ in May 2023 and was canceled in January 2024.
Disney+ Canceled Michelle Yeoh’s American Born Chinese
Premiered in early 2023, American Born Chinese featured Michelle Yeoh alongside her Everything Everywhere All at Once co-star, Ke Huy Quan. Based on the graphic novel of the same name, the show follows American teenager Jin Wang, who finds himself embroiled in a clash of mythical Chinese gods when he is tasked with guiding new exchange student Wei-Chen.
However, despite boasting a stellar cast that includes two Academy Award winners, the series fell short of securing a second season, leading Disney+ to announce its cancellation in January 2024. While American Born Chinese performed very well among critics, earning a 94% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, it struggled to attract the viewership necessary to continue the series.
As per Deadline, the series failed to draw enough viewership to break into the weekly Nielsen Top 10 streaming rankings. With the consecutive cancellations of her two recent projects, the Oscar-winning actress is now set to star in Universal Pictures’ two-part film adaptation of Winnie Holzman’s Wicked, which is scheduled to be released on November 27, 2024.
The Brothers Sun is available to stream on Netflix.
American Born Chinese is available to stream on Disney+.
